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White-collar human trafficking is thriving in Southeast Asia

The pandemic and political instability make combatting online scam centres difficult.

Burmese woman wearing Thanaka, a traditional sunscreen and beauty product made from ground bark. Photo credit: Canva.

Occasionally church members will receive emails in which their pastor appears to make out-of-character demands for gift cards, secret keeping and money. One of these messages might read something like this: “Are you less busy at the moment? I got a request for you to manage secretly. I will be going into a meeting in few minutes, no calls so kindly respond back via email.”

Sure enough, clicking on the address bar will reveal that the source is a spam account and not the pastor. The personnel committee can breathe a sigh of relief! But have you ever considered that the person sending an email like this could be a victim too?

In August 2023, a UN report was released stating there are hundreds of thousands of people being trafficked and forced to participate in online criminality, including crypto fraud and romance-investment scams.

Double victims

Although the size of these trafficking rings are difficult to quantify, the report estimates that at least 120,000 of these trafficked individuals are located in Myanmar, 100,000 in Cambodia and tens of thousands of victims in other States including Laos, the Philippines and Thailand.

“People who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while being forced to carry out crimes. They are victims. They are not criminals,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “In continuing to call for justice for those who have been defrauded through online criminality, we must not forget that this complex phenomenon has two sets of victims.”

Because those trafficked are forced into criminal behaviour, it can be difficult for authorities to view them as victims (after all, they’re participating in crime). When caught, they are often subjected to prosecution or immigration penalties.

A UN report found that victims in South East Asian scam centres came from more than 20 different countries.

Covid and coups

The pandemic is partly to blame for why these online scam centres rose in prominence over the past few years to generate a collective annual revenue of billions of US dollars. The lockdowns, loss of work and inability to cross borders left many people in vulnerable situations, making them targets for recruitment into scams under the pretence of real jobs. And with so many people “sheltering in place” around the world, there were more people regularly online and vulnerable to being scammed.

The political climate in many of these Southeast Asian countries plays a significant role in why these criminal organisations continue thriving in 2023.

For example, although Cambodia is technically a constitutional monarchy, the current government is known for their crackdowns on political dissents and free press. Critics describe the Cambodian government as a one-party state with a high level of corruption and human rights violations.

Myanmar’s political landscape is even more unstable. In February 2021, there was a coup where the military took control from the ruling party, declaring a state of emergency. Ever since, there has been an ongoing civil war resulting in dramatic weakening of law enforcement, and severe, new limits on civil society. Canada still has an embassy open in Myanmar, but has imposed sanctions on 219 individuals and entities that are known to support the military regime.

“Online scamming centres are something that flourishes in Myanmar because there’s no control – if you can find land, space, and somewhere to poach the Internet from Thailand, then no one cares because there are more pressing concerns,” said Bryon Lippincott, Head of Communications and Digital Engagement at Free the Slaves. Based in Washington DC, Free the Slaves is an anti-modern slavery and anti-trafficking organisation operating programs in most major regions around the world.

Scam centres are often located in remote cities, like Laukkaing, Myanmar in the mountainous jungle near the Chinese border. Photo credit: Canva.

A new kind of trafficking

Traditionally, trafficking has been based on poverty where low or unskilled labourers who are looking for work are preyed upon. These victims are often exploited into labour industries such as fishing, construction, and manufacturing.

Lippincott recently attended an anti-trafficking conference in Thailand, where he is based. He explained that trafficking for online scams is complex, and different from other types of human trafficking because it targets skilled individuals and involves sophisticated manipulation tactics. Online scams require experience or expertise in data science, sales, or social media, which changes how victims are targeted and trafficked.

The U.S. Department of State released a report stating these white-collar trafficking victims are often recruited through in-person connections, digital platforms and social media. In some cases, immigration status-based coercion is also used.

Most countries in Southeast Asia have legal and policy frameworks in place to deal with trafficking, although some fall short of international standards or lack successful implementation.

Crime and chaos

In Myanmar, there is little chance of these policies being enforced. Due to the continued conflict, the U.S. Department of State estimates the regime can only attempt to implement laws in approximately half of Myanmar and maintains minimal law enforcement efforts at best.

Breanna Randall used to work in Myanmar supporting local Christians. After the coup, she and her family were forced to flee to Thailand where they continue their ministry work. Randall often posts open-hearted reflections on her Instagram account (@br_randall) as she mourns with the people suffering in Myanmar. After a friend told her that she needed “thicker skin,” she responded: 

“For now, I welcome the wisdom of my thin skin. Because in a world full of oppressive systems, that skin is telling me to stay tender, and to keep tenderly listening.”

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We had some trouble getting interviews for this article. People working for organisations that are actively fighting human trafficking in Myanmar are hesitant to speak about their work publicly for fear of punishment or other repercussions. Many other organisations lack access to prevent trafficking, rescue victims and support survivors. Here are a few regional organisations working actively to bring help and hope to people in Myanmar:

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